One day really isn’t enough to celebrate love. Similarly, I feel like one recipe isn’t really enough to celebrate my love of pudlas. Or my love of beetroot for that matter. By putting grated beetroot in the batter, these spicy Indian chickpea pancakes turn a beautiful dark pink. After frying them in some butter,  these pudlas are stuffed with a delicious mixture of beetroot, caramelised red onion and warming spices, and topped off with a good dollop of Greek yoghurt. If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is.  Eat together with a lover, with friends or with family. Eat with cutlery or with your hands. Do whatever you like.  Just don’t eat them alone. And don’t wear white.

Ingredients (for about 8-10 pudlas, for about 2 people)

for the stuffing

5 medium beetroots

3 red onions

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp black mustard seeds

sea salt

black pepper

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

small pinch of garam masala

more Greek yoghurt to serve

for the pudlas:

200 g chickpea flour

100 ml Greek yoghurt

300 ml water

1 small beetroot

1 mild red chili (with seeds), finely chopped

2 cm fresh ginger, grated

1 tsp salt

1/3 tsp baking powder

For the pudlas:

• Wrap each beet in aluminium foil and bake in the oven for 1 hour.
• Remove, unwrap and peel when they’re cool enough.
• Start with the pudlas: mix the flour and yoghurt together then add the water and whisk or stir until smooth.
• Add the chili, ginger, baking powder, salt.
• Finely grate the smallest of the baked beetroots and add to the mixture. Stir well and set aside.
• Heat a small flat frying pan on medium heat until it’s very hot and cover the bottom with a bit of butter.
• Add a ladle full of batter to the pan and shape into a round (ish) pancake by tilting the pan. Flip over when brown, fry for 30 more seconds and slide onto a plate.
• Continue with the rest of the batter and make sure to add a bit of butter before each pancake.

For the stuffing:

• Heat oil on medium heat in a deep pan or wok and add the cumin seeds and the mustard seeds.
• When the mustard seeds start to pop, add the sliced red onion and fry for 15-20 minutes or until caramelised.
• Cut the remaining beetroots into wedges and fry for another 5 minutes with a splash of balsamic vinegar.
• Season with black pepper, salt and a pinch of garam masala.
• Eat with the pudlas and a good dollop of Greek yoghurt.